Author: 1stbarnard

The term “Global Village” in my view is that the world is now so linked by media and transport that we are culturally identical. Essentially, a village represents a settlement that has a close-knit community than compared to a city or a town. This oxymoronic term “Global” then states that this village has now expanded into a worldwide settlement. Therefore, I think it means that we are culturally similar as the term refers to a close-knit community that is now worldwide.

It tackled Grand Theft Auto’s controversial content quite well however Jack Thompson was frequently shown as being a bit too antagonistic. It appeared at some points a bit one sided. However, it frequently raised good points about the media’s censorship and showed the characters as authentic and realistic.

I’m still wondering why Harry Potter decided to make video games though.

Nearly every media text we consume today as an audience is controlled by an organisation. This organisation however can deform or control the texts they produce in fit with their ideas, though occasionally these ideas are controversial, illegal or simply not factual. Can we trust the media?

My starting argument begins with, no, we cannot trust the Media. 83% polled [1] stated that no, you cannot trust the media, while 17% said yes. This large divide is not entirely mere opinion- the film Starsuckers [3] showed how the fabrication of a celebrity’s medical record was widely accepted by newspapers as authentic- despite the information being more gossip than news the newspapers were eager to publish the story. Continue reading “Can we trust the Media?”→

Over the year we have learnt how to manipulate photos and images using Photoshop. These are but two examples created by the illustrious Barnard clan class.

Amazing piece of art, using a variety of skills and background knowledge of audience- in this case those looking for comedy- to achieve a humorous and astounding effect. I’ve sent it to Tate Modern and I think they are willing to have some talks for a whole room gallery.”

There are many reasons for people to watch documentaries and these can all be found in the Blumler and Katz theory of Uses and Gratifications (to inform, for social interaction, for entertainment, for escapism, to be educated). For example, people may watch a documentary to be educated- some may find pleasure in learning new things or theories such as from Myth Busters.

This was the homework right? Completing the table and then writing an essay about it?

Overall, there are many conventions of the horror-comedy genre.For example, A common convention of the horror-comedy is of a duo or pair of characters fighting against an unnatural force such as zombies, aliens or cults or such other monsters of the horror genre. These ‘unnatural forces’ usually follow Levi-Strauss’s binary opposition theory as the main characters and the monsters will be almost polar opposites of each other- like zombies vs humans. Additionally with the Levi-Strauss’s theory, the two main characters usually have some form of binary opposition – usually with one being the more mature one while the other being the opposite.(For example, in Zombieland, two of the major characters are a shy student and a gun toting tough guy, while in Warm Bodies the two main characters consist of a male zombie and a girl.) However, this can vary greatly, as some horror-comedies have the two main characters totally different whilst others may have barely a difference except for one defining feature that sets that character from the others. This is likely to create large scenes of comedy or further ensures that there are complications of fighting the ‘unnatural force’ as the two characters will likely have conflicts of have to combat the horror entity and this will ensure that the plot can continue or vary. Moreover, generally they are in a small village or residential area in either America or England (though usually the former) as this is a prime location for many problems with the monsters as it gives a location that is away from such people as police that could help combat the unnatural beings- in essence, it intensifies the feeling that they are battling the force alone as they are in a rural area. By the same token, the setting ensures a theme of mystery; in Hot Fuzz, for example, the rural town the main characters go to is secretly run by a fanatic murderous cult, and as the setting is so isolated than say London this seems probable and heightens the fear in the viewer because a rural town is away from most of civilisation and is therefore commonly associated with secretive murders and the unknown. The general message of horror-comedies is frequently about friendship overcoming overwhelming odds or becoming friends despite different personalities, status or view of the world. If we use a previous example, Hot Fuzz, the character Nicholas Angel is first appalled at his partner, Danny Butterman,for his disregard for his job, habit to get distracted and his unfitness despite the fact he has a job that requires fitness and activity. Nonetheless, at the end of the film Nicholas sees Danny as a great partner in battling crime and is seen joking and working together with him- a stark difference to the start of the film where he frequently criticised Danny and did not share his jokes. Finally, iconography is present throughout most horror-comedies though it can vary – though notably they can include a haunted house, graves, disfigured faces and generic murder weapons such as a chainsaw, knife or meat cleaver. Despite these, the comedy part of the film can subvert this common pictures of iconography.

Today I will silence my critics how dare they and actually post my answer to the question:

Print- Can it have a narrative?

In my opinion, I think print can have a narrative. A gossip magazine article (e.g. Chat,Take a Break) will generally be spoken by the person writing about an event and would generally be written in a linear order of events.

Additionally, a book is in print form and therefore is obviously present with a narrative as a book can be told 1stperson or 3rd person.